Western Cape - The Western Cape Education Department is allocating R30 million of its 2013/14 budget to reward schools for good performance in numeracy and literacy.
Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for education MEC Donald Grant, said schools that achieved excellent results in provincial numeracy and literacy tests or showed significant improvement in their results would receive cash incentives.
The tests have been scheduled to be written in October.
“The department aims to improve literacy and numeracy in all schools in the province.
To further this aim, the department will be allocating R30m to the incentive programme during the course of the next financial year as we are pleased to be able to show our schools and our educators that we appreciate their hard work in achieving our shared goals of improving learner outcomes in the province.
These funds are to be used to increase the number and quality of passes in their schools,” Casey said.
The department has also increased its allocation to special needs education by R43m, compared with last year.
In his budget speech last week, Grant said the Western Cape already led the country in the provision of special needs education and had allocated 5.7 percent of the budget to this sector or R894.7m.
Casey said more than R10m would be used for infrastructure improvement, including the construction of additional workshops at skills schools.
More than R9m would be spent on learning and teaching material as well as teacher training at inclusive education institutions while R3.2m has been allocated for machinery and equipment. A total of R8.9m would be spent on pupil transport.
Cape Argus